FIG. 23 exemplifies a prior art bill handling apparatus mountable in vending machines, bill exchangers, automatic teller machines, automatic cash dispensers and gaming machines, and an example of such a bill handling apparatus is shown in for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,361. A shown bill handling apparatus 100 comprises a frame 111, a validator 101 secured to frame 111 for discriminating authenticity of bills inserted into validator 101, a stacker 3 detachably attached to frame 111. Validator 101 comprises a conveyer device 102 for transporting a validated bill along a passageway 107 to stacker 3. Stacker 3 comprises a case 106, a slit-like opening 110 formed in case 106 through which bills pass from an outlet 109 of passageway 107 of validator 101 into stacker 3, a chamber 108 formed in stacker 3 for temporarily retaining a bill therein, a storage 104 defined in case 106 for stowing bills therein, and a pusher device 105 removably disposed within chamber 108 for pushing the bill in chamber 108 into storage 104.
When stacker 3 is attached to frame 111, opening 110 of stacker 3 is brought into alignment with an outlet 109 of passageway 107 in conveyer device 102 to connect outlet 109 to opening 110, and simultaneously, a follower gear 113 is automatically brought into engagement with a drive gear 112 provided in conveyer device 102 which directly drives follower gear 113.
When a control circuit (not shown in the drawings) in validator 101 decides an inserted bill to be genuine, it drives conveyer device 102 so that the bill is transported along passageway 107 toward outlet 109. At the same time, as conveyer device 102 drives follower gear 113 through drive gear 112 in the forward direction, follower gear 113 operates a carrier device (not shown in the drawings) in stacker 3 and therefore, the bill is moved by conveyer device 102 and carrier device through outlet 109 and opening 110 into chamber 108 within case 106.
At this moment, conveyer device 102 is driven in the adverse direction to reverse drive gear 112 and follower gear 113 to thereby operate pusher device 105 which forcibly pushes and stows the bill in chamber 108 into storage 104. During forward rotation of drive and follower gears 112, 113, pusher device 105 is returned to its shown original position.
In the foregoing bill handling apparatus, when stacker 3 is attached to frame 111, follower gear 113 of pusher device 105 can automatically be brought into engagement with drive gear 112 of carrier device secured to frame 111. Not shown in FIG. 23, but a shock absorber is provided in drive or follower gear 112, 113 to buffer a mechanical shock occurring upon interlocking drive and follower gears 112 and 113.
FIG. 24 shows a prior art structure for removably interlocking validator 101 to frame 111 by sliding validator 101 on frame 111 for fixing. As illustrated, frame 111 is formed with a pair of hooks 115 in a connecting structure 116 on its upper surface, and an opening 117 is formed on a bottom surface of validator 101. After sliding movement of validator 101 on upper surface of frame 111, edges of opening 117 are brought into engagement with hooks 115 to removably attach validator 101 to frame 111 by sliding movement of validator 101 relative to frame 111. However, this connecting structure 116 disadvantageously has a defect because when validator 101 is mounted on frame 111 through the sliding movement, drive gear 112 of carrier 102 in validator 101 naturally clashes with hooks 115 and therefore suffers a mechanical damage by the clash. Accordingly, hooks 115 have to be made of flexible material elastically deformable when drive gear 112 clashes with hooks 115. Also, as connecting structure 116 includes hooks 115 for catching edge of opening 117 in validator 101, it disadvantageously requires an increased height or additional space for bill handling apparatus to arrange connecting structure 116 therein. In this case, if bill handling apparatus is made in a larger size, it would be subject to restriction in size by standards, and therefore, volume in stacker 3 has to be made smaller in terms of the size in validator 101 and frame 111, and also, smaller stacker 3 cannot accommodate longer kinds of bills than chamber 108.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a document handler designed to detachably attach a validator thereto. Another object of the present invention is to provide a document handler designed to have a connector for removably attaching a validator to a frame in the fixed position without undesirable physical contact of a conveyer device in the validator to any other parts. A still another object of the present invention is to provide a document handler designed to detachably attach a validator to a frame in the fixed position for driving connection of a conveyer device to a carrier device and a pusher device in a stacker. A further object of the present invention is to provide a document handler to have a connector made up of a cam guide and a follower in removable engagement with the cam guide formed as configurations on side walls of a frame and a validator provided in the document handler. A still further object of the present invention is to provide a document handler designed to detachably attach a validator to a frame without need of any additional device between the validator and frame.